Cooler especially adapted for canning



A. R., THOMPSON. COOLER ESPECIALLY ADAPTEDIFOR CANNING. 3APPL|CATI0N flL ED FEB. 23. 1921. 1,432,924. Patented Oct. 24,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WATE

' IN VEN TOR ATTORNEYS- A. R, THOMPSON. COOLER ESPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR CANNING.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 23, I92].

Patented Oct. 24, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2' ATTOR JEYS UHE near erier ALBERT R. THOMPSON, OF SAN JOSE, CALIFQRNIA, ASSIGNOR TO ANDERSON-BARN- GROVER YIIFG. 00., OF SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

COOLER ESaPEQIALLY ADAPTIED CANNING.

Application filed February 23, 1921. Serial No. 447,308.

To all whom 2'2. may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT R. THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Jose, in the county of Santa Clara and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coolers Especially Adapted for Ganning,-of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of coolers used in the canning art, for reducing the temperature of canned goods immediately after the cooking operation. The necessity for such cooling is now well known and needs no explanation so far as general requirements are concerned; but, while my present invention is applicable to any situation which calls for cooling, it will be of advantage to point out conditions which render the invention particularly adapted for and essential to coolers which are under a pressure above atmospheric inorder to prevent injurious relief from the pressure to which they are subjected in the process of cooking. Accepted practice favors the cooking under pressure above atmospheric. To transfer the cans from a pressure cooker I into a cooler at atmospheric pressure is found to be injurious, inthat the sudden relief tends to burst the cans or to open their seams. To avoid this the cans should be cooled while under a pressure also above atmospheric, so that there will be no such injurious relief. As, in practice, the cooling medium used is water, it is available to impose the necessary pressure in the cooling chamber by means of a volume of compressed air admitted to said chamber. The cooling medium obviously will rise in temperature as the heated cans from the cooker pass through it; and, as it, therefore, becomes necessary to reduce this temperature the simplest way is to admit cooler water. But as this will increase the water content of the cooling chamber, some means must be provided to withdraw a volume of the heated water equal to the increment of cooler water added. And, finally, such regulation of the volume and temperature of the cooling medium must be under the condition of maintaining the air pressure in the chamber.

l/Vith these conditions and objects in view, my invention consists in the novel cooler which I shall hereinafter fully describe by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a side elevation, broken and partly in section, of my cooler.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the same at the can-receiving end thereof.

Fig. 3 is a vertical cross section, enlarged, of the water volume regulating float-chamher.

1 is the shell, box or tank of the cooler, having a pressure tight can inlet and a pressure tight can exit, and a can-path within it adapted for advancing the can procession through the shell from the inlet to the exit. These are features which may assume various forms and with the details of which my present invention is not concerned. I have accordingly illustrated them in a general way, the inlet being indicated by a pressure tight valve at 2, the exit by a pressure tight valve at 3 and the can advancing path by the fixed helically disposed rail l, and the annular series of rails 5 carried by a reel (3 rotated by a shaft 7. These parts are driven by suit-able mechanism, which for the purpose of illustration, I have shown as comprising a drive shaft 8 with pulley 9, gears 10 to drive a counter shaft 11 which, through gearing indicated by 12 drives the shaft 12 of the inlet and exit valves at 2 and 3 and the reel shaft 7, all as shown in Fig. 1.

Within the cooler chamber is the cooling medium, namely a body of water indicated by 13. This .is supplied by a perforated pipe 14 in the bottom of the chan'iber, said. pipe being fed by a supply pipe 15 under the general manual control of a cook 16 and connected with a source of water under pressure, not shown.

Pressure within the chamber of the cooler teriorly a common form of diaphragm operated valve controlled by a compressed air pipe 21, which is itself under the control of a connection 22 from a source of compressed air indicated at 23. This compressed air connection is under the control of a thermostat 2a exposed to the water in the cooler chamber, Fig. 1.

Outside of the cooler shell is a float chamber 25 connectedat its lower portion with the water body in the chamber of the shell by a pipe 26, controlled by a cook 27, and at its upper portion with-the air pressure space in said chamber by a pipe 28, controlled by a cock 29,'so that in said float chamber the water-level is the same as in the cooled chamber, and the air pressure is also the same. From the bottom of the float chamber issues a water discharge (pipe 30, which is controlled by any suitable form of float.

operated valve. For illustration I have shown in Fig. 3 this valve structure as comprising a pair of valves 31 seated in a fitting 32, and having astem 33 connected by a link 34 with a shaft 35 which is rocked by a lever36.

W'ithin said float chamber, 25 is a float 37, having a stem 38, which is connected with lever 36. The float chamber 25 is suficiently independent of the cooler tank 1 to enable it to be initially adjustedin elevation to conform to a predetermined level of the water content in the tank. For this purpose I have indicated the pipe connections 26 and 28 as provided with suitable elbow joints 39 to provide for their yielding by turning movement to enable the float chamher to be set higherfor lower. 40 is a manually controlled outlet from the upper portion of the water body.

The operation is as follows: As before stated, the heated cans pass in procession through the water in the cooler. Though the cans may come from any source, the usual source is the cooker, and, the usual cooker is a pressure cooker, in which case the cooler is a pressure cooler. The cooker and the cooler may be separate shells or they may be cooking and cooling elfects in compartments of the same shell. In the present illustration we may assume the cans to come from a pressure cooker and to be delivered without relief from pressure to the cooler through its inlet 2. \Vhen. the temperature of the water in the cooler, due to the presence of the heated cans, rises above a predetermined degree, the thermostat 2st opens the air pressure connections 22 and 21 so that the compressed air from the source 23 opens the regulating valve 20 and, admits colder water from the supply pipe 15, to the cooler, through the perforated pipe '14, it being understood that the water pressure in the supply pipe 15 exceeds the air presure in the cooler. This increment of cooler water has the two fold effect of reducing the temperature in. the water body 13 of the cooler, and by increasing its volume, of raising its level. This latter result has the effeet of lifting the float 3'7, which through its connections opens the discharge valve 31 from the float chamber 25 and allows the warmer water from the upper portion of the water body to pass out through the dis charge pipe 30 without, however, exposing the confined air to said discharge.

Thus not only is the water body cooled by the entrance of thecooler water increment, but also by the discharge of the warmer water. As soon as the temperature of the water body is reduced to the required de-' means within the shell for conveying the cans through the cooling medium from the inlet to the exit; means for regulating the supply; a thermostat exposed to the medium within the shell, for controlling said supplyregulating means; means for discharging said cooling medium from the shell; and means dependent upon apre'deterniined'volume-of said medium within the shell to controlthe discharge therefrom.

2. A cooler especially adapted for canning, comprising a shell containing a cooling medium said shell having a can inlet and a can exit; means within the shell for conveying the cans through the cooling medium from the inlet tothe exit; means for replenishing said medium by admission to its lower levels; means for regi'ilating' the replenishing supply; a thermostat exposed to the medium within the shell for controllii said replenishing-supply-regulating' means; means for discharging a modicum from the upper levels of said cooling medium in the shell; and means dependent upon a predetermined volume of said medium within the shell to control the discharge.

.8. A cooler especially adapted for canning, comprising a shell containing a. cooling medium said shell having a can inlet and a can exit; means within the shell for conveyingthe cans through the cooling medium from'the inlet to the exit; means for supplying said medium; means for regulating the supply; means for establishing and maintaining within said shell a pressure above atmospheric; a thermostat exposed to the medium within the shell, for controlling said supply-regulating means; means for dis charging said cooling medium from the shell without release of internal pressure; and

means dependent upon a predetermined volume of said medium Within the shell to control the discharge therefrom.

4. A cooler especially adapted for canning, comprising a shell containing a cooling medium said shell having a can inlet and a can exit; means within the shell for conveying the cans through the cooling medium from the inlet to the exit; means "for replenishing said medium by admission to its lower levels; means for regulating the replenishing supply; means for establishing and maintaining within said shell a pressure above atmospheric; a thermostat exposed to the medium within the shell for controlling said replenishing-supply-regulating means; means for discharging a modicum of said cooling medium from its upper levels without release of internal pressure; and means dependent upon a predetermined volume of said medium within the shell -to control the discharge therefrom.

5. A cooler especially adapted for canning comprising a shell containing a cooling liquid said shell having a can inlet and a can exit; means within the shell for conveying the cans through the cooling liquid from the inlet to the exit; means for replenishing said liquid by admission to its lower levels; a valve for regulating the replenishing supply; means for establishing and maintaining within said shell a fluid pressure above atmospheric; a thermostat exposed to the liquid in the shell and connections therefrom to control the replenishing valve; a float chamber having a communication with the liquid in the shell and with the fluid pressure therein; a discharge pipe from said float chamber disposed to draw from the upper levels of the cooling liquid; a valve to control said discharge pipe; and a float in the float chamber, with connections to operate said discharge valve.

6. A cooler especially adapted for canning, comprising a shell containing a cooling liquid said shell having a can inlet and a can exit; means within the shell for con- 'veying the cans through the cooling liquid from the inlet to the exit; means for replenishing said liquid by admission to its lower levels; means for regulating the re plenishing supply; a thermostat exposed to the liquid within the shell for controlling said replenishing supply-regulating means; a vertically adjustable float chamber associated with saidshell and communicating with the liquid therein; a discharge pipe from said float chamber disposed to draw from the upper levels of the cooling liquid; a valve to control said discharge pipe and a float in the float chamber with connections to operate said discharge valve.

7. A, cooler especially adapted for canning, comprising a shell containing a. coolher having a communication with the liquid in the shell and with the fluid pressure therein; a discharge pipe from said float chamber disposed to draw from the upper levels of the cooling liquid; a valve to control said discharge pipe; and a floatin the float chamber with connections to operate said discharge valve.

8. A cooler especially adapted for canning comprising a shell containing a cooling medium said shell having a can inlet and a can exit; means within the shell for conveying the cans through the cooling medium from the inlet to the exit; means for establishing and maintaining in said shell a pressure above atmospheric; means for supplying said medium with fresh cool increment; and means for withdrawing, without release of pressure within the shell, a portion of said medium equal in volume to that of said increment.

9. A cooler especially adapted for canning, comprising a shell containing a cooling liquid said shell having a can inlet and a can exit; means within the shell for conveying the cans through the cooling liquid from the inlet to the exit; means for establishing and maintaining in said shell an air pressure on said liquid above atmospheric; means for adding a fresh cool increment to said liquid; and means for withdrawing without release of air-pressure within the shell a portion of said liquid equal in volume to that of said increment.

10. A cooler especially adapted for can ning comprising a shell containing a cooling liquid. said. shell having a can inlet and a can exit; means within the shell for conveying the cans through the cooling liquid from the inlet to the exit; means for establishing and maintaining in said shell an air pressure on said liquid above atmospheric; means for supplying to the lower levels of said liquid an increment of fresh cool liquid; and means for withdrawing from the upper levels of said liquid, without release of air-pressure within the shell. a portion of said liquid equal in volume to that of said increment.

In testimony whereo'l I have signed my name to this specification.

ALBERT R. THOMPSON. 

